Refrigerator cabinet



Sept. 13, 1938. M FRANKEL 2,129,923

REFRIGERATOR CAB INET Filed Nov. 18, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

Sew. 13, 3938, M. FRANKEL I REFRIGERATOR CABINET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 1.8, 1936 BY M z. (101w ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 13, 1938 STATES REFRIGERATOR CABINET Mortimer Frankel, Indianapolis, Ind.,- assignor to Fairbanks, Morse & 00., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application November 18, 1936, Serial No. 111,432

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in refrigerator cabinets and the primary object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator having an auxiliary food compartment or chamber formed between a pair of doors, one of which constitutes the principal closure for the cabinet. With the described construction the inner door provides a closure for the inner, or main food chamber and serves to check the entrance of heat into the main w chamber when the outer door is opened. The more frequently used articles may be stored in the auxiliary compartment on trays or racks mounted on the front face of the inner door which is adapted to be swung open togive access to the 11$ main chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved operating and latching arrangement for the plural door structure above mentioned, whereby both doors maybe opened concurrently to render the inner chamber accessible, by a slim ple, single hand unlatching operation, and whereby an equally simple manipulation of the latch enables the outer door to be opened without disturbing the inner door.-

2 A further advantage of the improved door operating and latching arrangement is attained in the facile manner in which the inner door may be opened after the user has opened the outer door, as for example, where it is desired to remove arti- 39 cles from the forwardauxiliary compartment and transfer the same to the main chamber.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following; description which refers to a presently preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

Fig. i of the drawings is a perspective view of a refrigerator with both doors shown in open position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the 40 front portion of the refrigerator, with the doors disposed in closed position, and showing the latch device for the inner door;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional elevation of a portion of the refrigerator, showing means of a preferred type for automatically opening the inner door, the view being taken along line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail view in plan of preferred enlarged sectional latch construction for the inner door; I

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the inner door latch mechanism as taken along line 5-5 in Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the latch mechanism as viewed in the direction of the arrow appearing in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the refrigerator cabinet, designated generally Ill, has an upper space for food storage and 5 a lower space occupied by a mechanical cooling unit (not shown). An outer door 6 l and an inner door 12 are hingedly supported from the jamb l3 and adapted to be latched in their respective closed positions by latching mechanisms, that. ill) mechanism for the inner door being mounted on the jamb H5. The outer do'or it may comprise, in accordance with conventional refrigerator door construction, an insulating panel l5 adapted to fit within the'door opening and a face plate i5 15 adapted to lap the margins of the door opening. A sealing strip ll of suitable material skirts the inner peripheral edge of the face plate. The outer door is supported on hinges indicated at l8 and may be secured in closed position by a suitable latch mechanism actuable by handle 99 carried by the door.

Describing now the construction and arrangement of the inner door l2, such door preferably comprises a sheet metal panel having forwardly projecting marginal flanges in the manner of a shallow rectangular pan. Food shelves 2e are suitably mounted on the front face of the door, as best appears in Fig. 2. -When both doors are disposed in closed position (Fig. 2) inner door i2 lies wholly within the refrigerator cabinet and the forward extremities thereof are spaced 2. short distance from the inner face of door l3. The inner door is dimensioned smaller than the cabinet opening to provide a marginal space between he same and the inner wall faces of the cabinet.

Accordingly, cold air may circulate freely between the main and auxiliary compartments, through the space surrounding the inner door. Certain of the shelves 211 are provided at their forward edges with rubber buffers 2! for silent, shock-absorbing engagement with the outer door.

The inner door is carried by a pair of hinges 22, and one or both of which hinges include means, to be hereinafter described, for causing the door to be moved automatically into open position when its latch is released and the outer door is open. Each hinge includes relatively long and short arms 23 and 24, respectively, pivotally interconnected ln the conventional manner by a hinge pin 25. The jamb i3 at the hinged side of the outer door is suitably recessed to accommodate hinges 22, the pivotal axes 'of which are located near the forward edge of said jamb. Hinge arm 24 is fastened by screws 26 to a plate 2! and such plate is secured to the jamb within one of the recesses, aforesaid, by screws 21A. Screws 28 serve to secure the door II to the longer hinge arm 23.

The self-opening means for the inner door. heretofore referred to, may desirably include a spring 29 (Fig. 3), which acts upon a plunger 39. The spring and plunger are mounted in a tubular housing 3|, the assembly occupying a bore or pocket in the door jamb. The plunger 30 projects through registering openings in hinge arm 24 and plate 21 for'bearing engagement with hinge arm 23. Suitable means are provided for limiting theextent of plunger movement outwardly of the housing, as for example, the enlarged head 32 at the extremity of the reduced plunger neck portion 33, which head abuts the inner end of the tubular housing 3| when the desired extent of plunger travel, outwardly, is reached. The manner in which the spring and plunger assembly functions to open the inner door when the latch is released, and the way in which the plunger is reset by the door when closed will be apparent from Figs. 2 and 3.

The latching mechanism for the inner door is.

mounted on jamb H, the mechanism being actuable to release the inner door by means of a plunger, or push rod 34, which projects through the front face of the jamb and is located in proximity to the outer door handle i9 when that door'is closed. The door jamb I4 is provided with a recess 35 extending inwardly from the side face thereof, which recess is occupied by the latch mechanism, and a recess or opening 36 for push rod 34 extending from recess 35 to the front face of the jamb. Mounted within a suitable case,

designated 31, in the jamb recess 35, is a com-- pound lever system comprising a so-called primary lever 38, and a secondary or latch lever made up of two members 39 and 40 whichare mounted for rocking movement on a common, vertical pivot pin 4|. The substantially straight primary lever 38, mounted on a vertical pivot pin 42, is provided with bearing plates 43 and 44 at its opposite ends. Bearing plate 43' engages the inner end of push rod 34, and bearing plate 44 operatively engages the shorter arm of secondary lever member 39. A torsion spring 45 carried by pivot pin 42 has a yieldable finger 46 which presses against bearing plate 43 to maintain the same in operating contact with, and-providing a spring return for the.

push rod. Suitable means are provided for limiting the extent of push-rod travel outwardly of the jamb, in the pesent example, such means including a plate 41 having an end slot 48 which accommodates a reduced portion of the push rod, the inner head end 49 of the push rod abutting the margins of the plate slot when the desired outward extent of push rod travel has been reached.

The secondary lever member 39 is of the bell-crank variety, having a short arm 56 which, as has been stated, is operatively engaged by primary lever 38, and a long arm disposed substantially at a right angle to arm 59. Lever member 39 is fulcrumed on pivot pin 4| by means of spaced lugs 52 located at the angulate bend of the lever. A torsion spring 69 disposed on the pivot pin has a yieldable finger 53 which presses against the short lever arm, constraining the lever toward door latching position and holding the same in operating engagement with the primary lever, as best appears in Fig. 4. The longer lever arm 39 emerges from the jamb recess 35 toward the rear of the cabinet and swings toward and from the side wall of the cabinet for latching and unlatching engagement with the inner door. Arm 5| terminates in a U-band 54 which normally is disposed in the path of a flange 55, formed on the inner door, serving to limit the extent of inward door movement relative to the cabinet. The door flange 55 is desirably provided with a suitable rubber strike pad 56 which is held to the flange by the angulate end portion 51 of a striker plate 58, extending across the end face of the door. Lever arm 5| may strike the side wall of the cabinet when retracted to release the door and for purposes of cushioning the impact a rubthe lever arm is limited by the engagement of an end projection 63 on the catch member with the back side of the lever arm. The nose portion of the catch member is normally held in projecting position relative to the lever arm by means of a torsion spring 64, one end 65 of which is suitably anchored to the short arm 5|! of lever 39, and the other end 66 of which spring bears upon the side of the catch member. Spring 64, by preference, is weaker than spring 69 which serves yieldingly to position the secondary lever assembly.

The members 39 and 40, comprising the secondary lever assembly, extend through an opening in a finishing or closure plate 61 fastened to door jamb l4 by screws 68 which also serve to secure the entire latching assembly to the cabinet. Describing now the operation of the inner door latch mechanism, assume that the outer door is in open position and it is desired to open the inner door. Push rod 34-is pressed inwardly to cause primary lever 38 to rock clockwise (Fig. 4) against the action of spring 45 and move the secondary lever assembly in a counterclockwise direction against'the action of spring 69. The nose 60 of the catch member is thusretracted to free the inner door flange 55, allowing the door, motivated by spring 29 (Fig. 3) to swing open. When the plunger rod 34 is released, the described latch mechanism is restored by the springs to its normal condition which is shown by Fig. 4.

When the inner door is closed, the catch member and lever arm are sequentiallycammed inthe door being ultimately checked by the bent end portion of the lever arm. The catch member springs back into latchingengagement with the door flange and holds the door closed against the opening force produced by spring 29.

In accordance with the specified objects of the invention it will appear that both doors may be opened concurrently and with but little manipulative effort by the simple operation of pressing the push rod 34 with the thumb of the same hand that is used to grasp handle I 9 to open the outer door. inner door causes the same to swing open smoothly and quietly, and without unduly disturbing articles carried thereby. The desirability of providing self-opening means for the inner door, and avoiding the use of means operatively connecting the inner and outer doors for their joint The operating spring associated with the wardly by the striker plate, inward movement of opening by a pull or jerk on the outer door handle will be readily understood.

I claim:

In combination with a refrigerator cabinet having a forward opening and a food chamber accessible therethrough, an outer door hingedv on the cabinet and providing a closure for said opening, an inner door hinged on the cabinet, adapted to divide the food chamber into forward and rear compartments, a cooling unit located in the rear compartment, shelves on said inner door for supporting food in the forward compartment, a latch element mounted on the cabinet and cooperating with said inner door, a plunger for actuating said latch projecting from a forward wall of the cabinet adjacent the dooropening, spring means operable to move the inner door outwardly of the cabinet when said latch is released, a latch for the outer door, ahandle mounted on the outer door, operatively connected to the outer door latch for releasing the same, said handle and plunger being arranged for concurrent, single-hand manipulation when the outer 10 door is closed. v

MORTIMER FRANKEL. 

